GOP Party Chairman Gary Jones and former GOP State Lawmaker meet with Ethics Commission

TRUST ME - This will HURT the Oklahoma Republican Party next year...

And the probe go on...

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=071220_1_A4_spanc44663

Tulsa lawmaker pushes aid for ethics panel

By MICK HINTON World Capitol Bureau
12/20/2007

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A Tulsa lawmaker said Wednesday that he is going to file a bill to beef up staffing and funding for the Oklahoma Ethics Commission.

"It is common sense that we increase funding and add employees so we can have an Ethics Commission that truly is an investigative agency not having to fear the Legislature for their existence," Rep. Lucky Lamons said.

The Democratic lawmaker said more funding is imperative now that questions have been raised about Republican House Speaker Lance Cargill and his leadership team concerning contributions intended for the state party that ended up with the Oklahoma County party and were spent on key House races.

The status of such a probe by the Ethics Commission is unknown because the agency's investigations are kept secret by law.

However, a former Republican state lawmaker, Ray Vaughn of Edmond, confirmed that he visited the Ethics Commission office on Friday. Vaughn is now an Oklahoma County commissioner. His spokesman, Rick Buchanan, said that would be the only comment Vaughn would have regarding the visit.

Vaughn said earlier that he had given $5,000 to the state party and was disturbed to learn that it went to the county party instead.

Republican Party Chairman Gary Jones also confirmed that he visited the Ethics Commission office Friday.

Jones noted earlier that the Ethics Commission was raising questions about the contributions being diverted from the state to the county.

Although several checks were written to the state, records showed that they ended up in the Oklahoma County Republican Party's coffer.

Lamons' bill seeks funding that Ethics Commission Executive Director Marilyn Hughes has said is needed for the agency, whose budget has seen only minor increases in several years.

Hughes is requesting an increase of $369,000, which would:

Double the office space for the commission, which is housed in the basement of the state Capitol.


Increase staffing from seven to 10 employees by adding an auditor/investigator, an attorney and a training specialist.


The agency now has only one staff attorney, besides Hughes, and one investigator.

Oklahoma City attorney Ken Elliott, who ended his tenure on the Ethics Commission this week, said more funding definitely is needed.

"I don't think there is a lot of debate about that," he said. "Their office space is very cramped, which creates all kinds of problems for an agency intended to serve the public."

Rep. Dave Dank, R-Oklahoma City, is calling for sweeping ethics reforms.

Dank said he will sponsor a bill that seeks three auditor/investigators.

Dank and Lamons both are calling for a ban on lawmakers accepting political contributions during the February-to-May legislative session.



Mick Hinton (405) 528-2465
mick.hinton@tulsaworld.com